UP: Law student accuses principal of objecting to sporting 'tilak', files complaint
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): A law student has filed a complaint with the Hardoi district administration, accusing his college principal of objecting to him sporting a 'tilak' on his forehead, officials said on Sunday.
Amit Yadav, a first-semester law student at the BN Degree College in Shahabad, alleged that the principal, Umar, made objectionable remarks and asked him to remove his tilak before attending classes.
In his complaint, submitted during the ‘Tehsil Samadhan Diwas’ on Saturday, Yadav claimed the principal's remarks caused him mental distress.
He claimed the principal told him that “this is BN Degree College, not a gurukul”, which hurt his religious sentiments.
He also alleged that due to the incident, he was unable to fill out his LLB first-semester examination form, the deadline for which was December 20.
Calling the incident a violation of his religious freedom, Yadav demanded legal action against the principal and sought immediate relief to submit his examination form.
Denying the allegations, Umar said he neither stopped any student from wearing a tilak nor made any objectionable remarks.
Sub-divisional magistrate Shahabad Ankit Tiwari confirmed that a complaint has been received and an inquiry is underway.
“Necessary action will be taken based on the findings of the probe,” he said.
After the complaint was filed, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a protest at the college on Saturday, warning against discrimination on religious grounds and threatening agitation if “such incidents” continue.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
